Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-05-12

looking to the kitchen. The floor of the
room bore dark stain, marking the spot
where Mrs. McWha had been killed, and
where the bodies had been found.
Stepping from the sitting room into the
kitchen, one came suddenly upon the
most pronounced evidences of the bloody
work. Directly opposite the door leading
into the sitting room stood the stove, and
beneath il there was great stain of blood
upon the zinc which covered the floor.
The stain had ran out upon the zine from
the floor outside the limits of the stove.
In front of the stove, and little to one
side, stood washtub, half full of bloody
water, and it were the garments which had
been stripped from the two women after
their death. Near this tub, there was
another large dark stain upon the floor.
The kitchen was in a state of considerable
disorder, as though things had
been thrown about aimlessly,
and small apartment, opening
out of the kitchen, and in the rear Of the
hall, was in the same state. The impress
sion created in all these rooms, was not
that search had been made for valuables,
but that hurried attempt had been
made to create confusion for the purpose
of misleading.
Outside in the yard in the rear of the
kitchen some clothes were still hanging
on the line, as though washing had Just
been done, and this fact indicates the
murder was committed in daylight on
Wednesday, for had the killing been
done during the night, the clothes
would have been taken in
before the women retired to rest. Before
the arrival of the time fixed for the resump-
tiOn of the hearing probably fifty people
gathered ut the Baker residence, but not
more than half dozen were allowed to
enter the house. The men, mostly farmers
from the surrounding country, stood about
in little groups, conversing IN low tones,
or contented themselves with watching the
movements of Baker as he wandered about
the yard.
Sheriff Lindsay was quite uneasy about
Baker, and was mt something Ofa loss what
to do. He stated that he had delayed put
ting him under arrest, for fear of summary
violence on the part Of the people, and
especially from the large number of rail-
road labOrers, who were much excited.
There was much ground for this feeling on
the part of the Sheriff, there having been
movements and talk on the part of a num-
ber of people during Tuesday night, which
were not calculated to ease the mind of
the official, nor inure to the continued
good health of Mr.. Baker. The Sheriff,
under these circumstances, thought he had
better defer the arrest until the conclusion
of the inquest. and then do it as quietly as
possible, and hurry him off to Fair
view.
Through some oversight or other in TAX
ing the evidence Tuesday afternoon, JUS
tice Lee failed to have the evidence re-
duced to writing. After looking up the
law, he saw this should have been done,
and thus it was necessary to 80 all
over the testimony yesterday morning. \
clerk was accordingly procured, that the
evidence might be taken down. There
WAS no attorney present during the morn
ing session, but soon after noon Lieutenant
Governor Richards, of Steubenville, APP
peared rs counsel for the relatives of the
murdered women, and his well-defned
questions materially helped the progress of
the inquest during the remainder Of the
day.